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I heard Amelia's name mentioned on the radio just a few minutes ago and may have mumbled something to myself about "I'll bet ------ is involved in this!" I knew it couldn't be anyone else. Here we go again.

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My reaction is the same as above in Post 5. The chances of them ever finding anything are less than minute. Even if they did locate anything, most of it would have corroded or rotted-away.
AE was obviously lost in the overwhelming vastness of the Pacific. She took a very high-risk gamble and lost. There is NO mystery. The whole charade of searching for her is farcical, and a waste of funds which might go towards getting a real-life historic a/c back into the air. A bit of a no-brainer really....!

A new clue in one of the 20th century's most enduring mysteries could uncover the fate of American aviator Amelia Earhart, who went missing without a trace over the South Pacific 75 years ago, investigators say.

Enhanced analysis of a photograph taken just months after Earhart's Lockheed Electra plane vanished shows what experts think may be the landing gear of the aircraft protruding from the waters off the remote island of Nikumaroro, in what is now the Pacific nation of Kiribati, they said.

Armed with that analysis by the State Department, historians, scientists and salvagers from The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, are returning to the island in July in the hope of finding the wreckage of Earhart's plane and perhaps even the remains of the pilot and her navigator Fred Noonan.

Ric Gillespie, executive director of the group, acknowledged that the evidence was "circumstantial" but "strong" but stopped short of predicting success. The new search is scheduled to last for 10 days in July and will use state-of-the-art underwater robotic submarines and mapping equipment.

"The most important thing is not whether we find the ultimate answer or what we find, it is the way we look," he said. "We see this opportunity to explore ... the last great American mystery of the 20th century as a vehicle for demonstrating how to go about figuring out what is true."

Earhart and Noonan disappeared July 2, 1937, while flying from New Guinea to Howland Island as part of her attempt to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe.

Extensive searches at the time uncovered nothing and many historians are convinced they crashed into the ocean. In addition, conspiracy theories, including claims that they were US government agents captured by the Japanese before the Second World War, still abound despite having been largely debunked.

Gillespie's group believes Earhart and Noonan may have managed to land on a reef abutting the atoll, then known as Gardner Island, and survived for a short time. They surmise that the plane was washed off the reef by high tides shortly after the landing and that the wreckage may be found in the deep waters nearby.

Their previous visits to the island have recovered artifacts that could have belonged to Earhart and Noonan and suggest they might have lived for days or weeks. Now, they have the new analysis of the October 1937 photo of the shoreline of the island. Experts say a blurry object sticking out of the water in the lower left corner of the black-and-white photo is consistent with a strut and wheel of a Lockheed Electra landing gear.

Renowned oceanographer Robert Ballard, who discovered the wreckage of the Titanic and the Bismarck and is advising the Earhart expedition, said the new analysis of the photograph could be the equivalent of a "smoking gun" as it narrows the search area from tens of thousands of square miles to a manageable size.Ballard confessed to having been previously intimidated by the challenge of finding clues to Earhart's whereabouts.

"If you ever want a case of finding a needle in a haystack, this is at the top of the list," he at a State Department event where Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood gave their support and encouragement to the privately financed project.

Clinton hailed Earhart as an inspiration to Americans in difficult times as the nation struggled to emerge from the Great Depression of the 1930s and said her legacy could be a model for the country now.

"Amelia Earhart may have been a unlikely heroine for a nation down on its luck, but she embodies the spirit of an America coming of age and increasingly confident, ready to lead in a quite uncertain and dangerous world," she said. "She gave people hope and she inspired them to dream bigger and bolder."

"Today, we meet at a time when the challenges are not so dire despite what you might hear on cable television or talk radio. But these are still difficult days for many Americans," Clinton said. "After a long decade of war, terrorism and recession, there are some who are asking whether we still have what it takes to lead, and like that earlier generation we too could use some of Amelia's spirit."

"We can be as optimistic and even audacious as Amelia Earhart," she said. "We can be defined not by the limits that hold us down but by the opportunities that are ahead."

I have in the past read much of the Tigar website and seen claims dating from 1999 of a blurry object shown in 1938 photos next to the wreck of the "SS Norwich City" as being possible aircraft undercarriage, I wont be surprised to see this being that claim recycled.

TK: Where were the parts of the airplane?
ES: Not far from where the ship was. Not toward the village but away from it. The struts were there. [holds up hands in circle, apparently indicating that the struts were round in cross-section, about 20 cm. in diameter] It was around that area were the bones were found. Could be bones from the ship or the airplane. During the westerlies, heavy swells took the rest of the bones away. There were not many that we found. Maybe 10 different people whose bones were found along that area. There were some with leather bottles and a pipe. I used to accompany my father to fish. Some people would not go to that area to fish because they were frightened. You would come up on the reef, then the beach comes up where the island shrubs start to grow. [with gestures and words, she and Foua indicated the storm surge line and first Scaevola line in from the beach] That is where the bones were found.
TK: What kind of things did your father make?
ES: My father made rings and combs, and things with inlaid wood. He made rings out of golden coins. He built things of wood. The box he made for the bones was not as big as a usual coffin size. I don’t know what timber was used. [To demonstrate the box size, Tom used his hands to get an approximate measurement of 12–15 inches deep and 24 inches in length.] I didn’t see the actual bones. I don’t know how many bones, but it must not have been many or the box would have been bigger. Many planks were used. Boards were nailed, stained and varnished. My father often worked with kanawa wood. [She walked clear around the island three times with her father, a great fisherman. This came out in the context of discussing how important her father was in the community, both as carpenter and a fisherman, and how close she was to him. She said she was raised like a man, because she was the oldest in her sibling set.]
TK: Did you see the plane fall?
ES: No, it was already there when I came. I came in 1938–1939, when I was 11 years old. I left in December 1941. The steel of the plane was there sometime before we got there. [asked specifically about aluminum, she says no] Fishermen found the bones. They were frightened and they brought the story of them to the Onotoa man.
TK: Was that Koata?
ES: [she smiles broadly as in recognition] Yes.
TK: What did Koata do?
ES: He sent people to bring the bones. People were frightened. Only people working for the government received the bones. My father had to look at the bones. Mr. Gallagher asked my father to make the box.
TK: What other kinds of things did your father make?
ES: My father had ceased making rings at that time [not done in the Phoenix Islands]. He was working for the government. He constructed houses, maintained the European houses, the hospital and he went fishing. He helped with the ministry. He took the lead in the systematic planting of the coconut trees. He brought the coconut seedlings from my uncle from Manra, in 1939.
TK: When did you get to Nikumaroro?
ES: We had not been on Beru Island a year when we were sent to Nikumaroro. Perhaps 1938-39. In less than 3 years, I left Nikumaroro.
TK: What caused your family to move to Nikumaroro?
ES: Instructions from the government to build houses and plant coconuts. Uncle Kemo went to Manra to build the hospital building and water tank.
TK: How old were you when your father built the box?
ES: 14 years old, not yet 15. I had been around the island three times with my father. I followed him and sometimes we would turn over turtles.
TK: Where were the turtles mostly?
ES: On the weather side. The government used to send people across the lagoon to pick up the turtles. [In an unrelated offering at this time, Emily commented that Niku was a pleasant place to live because of knowing Mr. Gallagher and Jack “Uncle Kemo” Pedro, who was also a singer and composer. Jack had three sons in the Gilbertese and Marshall Islands, one son now holding a senior position in the government of the Marshall Islands.]
TK: When your father was building the box was it special?
ES: It was special, but there was no real rush to complete the job quickly. I don’t know when the bones were removed from the island.
TK: Please clarify about the bones. Were the 10 skeletons/bodies separate from the bones that were put in the box?
ES: The bones of the 10 people were toward the shoreline, but these bones [the bones in the box her father made] were found on the reef near the remaining parts of the plane. People decided these bones were from the people from the plane. When I used to go to the place, the bones of the 10 people were still there. People who found the bones near the plane were frightened to touch them. They told Teng Koata of the bones and he told Gallagher. Koata had them collect the bones for Gallagher. Until I left the island, I hadn’t heard anything about what had happened to those bones. The government put restrictions that children were not to frequent that area.
TK: Did people use parts of the airplane?
ES: I don’t know for sure. When we got there only the steel frames were left, only the long pieces were there. We were frightened to go close to the plane. Where the shipwreck was – the remainder of the plane was not very far from there. The waves were washing it in low tide. The 10 people had complete skeletons. Looking at those people, they could be tall people. They were very long. People were afraid of all the bones in both places.

I also wouldnt be surprised to one day see Tigar register itself as a religion given the ability to fabricate biblical type stories on nothing than blind faith.

But full marks for the fundraising and marketing/media skills and abilities!

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Bit like the NEW Tv programme about to hit the airwaves about what really happened to the Titanic....... Bet ya a fiver it sinks....

There was actually some reasonable evidence that Titanic was switched with Olympic during fitout/heavy maintenance as Olympic had a severe structural fault that caused her bows to shake under full power, causing massive internal damage, a fault that neither Titanic or Britannic possessed.

As far as i know its never been conclusively proven or disproven either way, as apparently you would need to find the hull construction numbers on the ships themselves, Olympic is 400, Titanic 401, Titanic's wreck is apparently fitted with Olympic's propellors going by this theory.

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There was actually some reasonable evidence that Titanic was switched with Olympic during fitout/heavy maintenance as Olympic had a severe structural fault that caused her bows to shake under full power, causing massive internal damage, a fault that neither Titanic or Britannic possessed.

As far as i know its never been conclusively proven or disproven either way, as apparently you would need to find the hull construction numbers on the ships themselves, Olympic is 400, Titanic 401, Titanic's wreck is apparently fitted with Olympic's propellors going by this theory.

This is so much BS its hard to even reply to.

Olympic had already made high-speed trips to & from New York without any passengers noticing a &*&^%% thing well before Titanic was completed. In case you forgot, these ships had "3rd class" (steerage) passenger accommodations that were in the bow.

There were definite differences in internal layout of major internal public spaces (in terms of locations of bulkheads, etc) that were well-photographed during construction and during Olympic's first trips... and well after... including by passengers.

Olympic never spent enough time out-of-service during the time Titanic was near completion for the structural modifications that would be needed to hide these differences.

Of course, the nutcases who support this theory claim that all those photos were faked, the entire passenger complement bribed, shipyard workers bribed or threatened into silence, etc... as this is the only way that that kind of problem could have been concealed.

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From an AP article on today's news... Unedited...."The expedition will coincide with the 75th anniversary of Earhart's departure on the ill-fated attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world. Previous visits to the island by the group have recovered artifacts that could have belonged to Earhart and Noonan and suggest they might have lived for days or weeks after landing on a reef.

State Department officials say Clinton will use Tuesday's event to lend her high profile to the search while also lauding Earhart's legacy as a pioneer for women and a model of American courage. She will also note the Obama administration's keen interest in the Pacific.

The event will underscore America's spirit of adventure and courage, as embodied by Amelia Earhart, and our commitment to seizing new opportunities for cooperation with Pacific neighbors founded on the United States' long history of engagement in the Asia-Pacific region," the department said in a statement."

In other words, Clinton doesn't really care about Earhart or finding anything, it's a glorified photo opportunity to make points on the "Women's History" issue and say something nice about out allies in the Pacific.
It's a chance for her to get into the media on a non-controversial issue.

No doubt TIGHAR will use it as a ringing endorsement of them and their endless searches.

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Olympic had already made high-speed trips to & from New York without any passengers noticing a &*&^%% thing well before Titanic was completed. In case you forgot, these ships had "3rd class" (steerage) passenger accommodations that were in the bow.

There were definite differences in internal layout of major internal public spaces (in terms of locations of bulkheads, etc) that were well-photographed during construction and during Olympic's first trips... and well after... including by passengers.

Olympic never spent enough time out-of-service during the time Titanic was near completion for the structural modifications that would be needed to hide these differences.

Of course, the nutcases who support this theory claim that all those photos were faked, the entire passenger complement bribed, shipyard workers bribed or threatened into silence, etc... as this is the only way that that kind of problem could have been concealed.

Hey dont shoot the messenger!

was only something i was told and im far from being an authority on the subject

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The "new clue" is apparantly a blurry picture that "if you squint" looks like the undercarriage leg and wheel of a Lockheed sticking out of the water near Nikumaroro!

I suppose it could be true but I find it hard to accept that anybody taking a photograph in 1937, within months of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan going missing, on an island close to their intended destination, would fail to spot an aircraft undercarriage sticking out of the sea!

Now, they have the new analysis of the October 1937 photo of the shoreline of the island. Experts say a blurry object sticking out of the water in the lower left corner of the black-and-white photo is consistent with a strut and wheel of a Lockheed Electra landing gear.

It sounds a bit too close to ‘I didn’t see the UFO / ghost / alien when I took the photograph but...’

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I suppose it could be true but I find it hard to accept that anybody taking a photograph in 1937, within months of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan going missing, on an island close to their intended destination, would fail to spot an aircraft undercarriage sticking out of the sea!

It sounds a bit too close to ‘I didn’t see the UFO / ghost / alien when I took the photograph but...’

Like all great religions based on word of mouth and blind faith, there is always a "credible" reason why hard evidence can not be found to prove or disprove the claims.

Of course Tigar always discount the possibility that the SS Norwich City wreck and its cargo could be the source for human bones, (ten people died in the wreck), or womens shoes/makeup compacts (cargo?) Navigators sextant box (personal item of ships navigator?) found by Tigars expedition, or for any other stray debris along the coast seen by locals and reported in testimony/witness statements.

It turns out there are yet other photos of material lying close to the wreck of the SS Norwich City but apparantly these cant simply be explained as debris from the ship breaking up? (which was the apparant expert conclusion from analysis of the "dot and dash" photos).

The photograph that may show the plane was taken in October 1937 by Eric Bevington, then a Cadet Officer of the British Gilbert & Ellice Islands Colony. The Earhart/Noonan flight had vanished three months earlier on July 2nd. Bevington was part of a small expedition sent to investigate the islands of the Phoenix Group for possible settlement. He took a number of personal photographs, one of which appears to have taken from a small boat just off the west end of Nikumaroro, then known as Gardner Island. The dominant object in the photo is the wreck of the British freighter SS Norwich City which ran aground in a storm and burned on the night of November 29, 1929. Near the extreme left side of the frame something appears to be sticking up out of the water near the reef edge.

Tigar have named it "Nessie" but I dont think its the Loch Ness Monster holidaying in the South Pacific, its more likely the owner of the small boat yelling to Bevington "come back with my tinnie" or "Number 8 its time to come in".

Or perhaps its just a Shag standing on a rock?

But here is Tigar's impressive hypothosis to generate sponsorship and funding, to spend many more years visiting Nikumaroro and its reef bottom.

The image has apparantly already led to ROV investigations of the nearby seabed, including some underwater photos from an ROV that conclusively shows a yellow texta outline of an undercarriage leg existing on the reef floor smiles

Although I'm not suggesting Tigar intentionally fabricate "evidence" I do consider they are often too early to make front page claims of outcomes that are later quietly corrected in fine print on the back page, ie the Turtle Bone "finger"

In that way they do in someways remind me of the 2004 Sonar Scans of the Sunderland in the Cumbrian Lakes and other work undertaken by DiveTheWorld that were so amusing on threads here years ago and on the front pages of UK papers?, but were soon shown to be the work of a Walter Mitty.